


So damn tired

by blackjacksdonuts



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, POV Andrew Minyard, POV Neil Josten, Please read, Sleepy Cuddles, Tagging Properly? Who's she?, You can have a little, anyway, as a treat, can you tell this is my first fic?, like a teaspoon, never tagged before, no beta we die like men, not even that much and then its over, oh and nicky only appears for like a moment, only because I had come up with a threat but then I switched POVs, please don't let these tags deter you, really its just fluff, there's like the smallest bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:28:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27150437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackjacksdonuts/pseuds/blackjacksdonuts
Summary: Andrew hasn't been sleeping properly due to nightmares. Neil helps.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 10
Kudos: 232





	So damn tired

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fic that I'm posting ever, and it's also my first writing for this fandom so please be kind. I'll appreciate any kudos or comments you can give me.  
> Also its important to me that you know I wrote this last night at like one in the morning and I didn't reread for spelling errors nor did I have anyone else do that, so please let me know about any mistakes.  
> A lot of this is probably very OOC. Sorry. Like this entire thing. Sorry.

It started, as it always does for Andrew, with a nightmare.

He had shot up in bed in the early morning one day, a cold sweat covering his skin. 

He had dreamt about Baltimore. In his dream, though, they hadn’t gotten the call that Neil was in police custody. Instead they got the call that they had found his body. In his dream, Neil didn’t come back. He had woken up when they were taken to see his body.

He had tried to calm himself down by staring at the bottom of Neil’s bunk, telling himself that his junkie was sleeping right there, that he was alive, and as Neil loved to say _fine_.

It hadn’t worked.

But getting up to check the other bed proved to be the worse option.

Neil wasn't in bed.

Frantically looking around revealed his running shoes next to his dresser, and his phone on the side table.

As calmly as Andrew could with his heart pounding, he walked out of the bedroom into the living room. 

Empty. But there was a light on in the kitchen, sending the shadow of someone onto the floor.

Neil was standing in the kitchen, looking into the open fridge, an almost empty glass of water in one hand.

Andrew felt some of the tension leave his body.

Neil glanced over and smiled slightly. “Hey.”

He just scowled and walked forward, grabbing the collar of the hoodie Neil was wearing.

Neil stopped smiling, and looked at Andrew with concern.

“I’m fine. I woke up and was thirsty. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

Andrew scowled at his use of fine, but remained silent.

Neil didn’t complain as Andrew stood there, hand on the collar of a hoodie he’d identified as _his_ , and continued to look until he felt sure that this was real, that Neil was there, that he was safe.

Neil seemed to sense when he had looked his fill and calmed down.

“Are you going to be able to sleep again?”

Andrew shook his head. A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was 2:50 in the morning.

They moved quietly to the couch in the living room, and sat together in the quiet.

Andrew could see Neil beginning to yawn after a few minutes and muttered a quick, "Yes."

Neil stared at him in confusion, so he reached up and tugged his head down onto his shoulder.

Neil remained tense, but melted against Andrew's side when he threw a blanket over the both of them. 

Within another few minutes, Neil was asleep.

Andrew felt the last of the fear slowly leave his muscles as he sat there, breathing in sync with Neil.

*°*°*

It continued the next night with the same nightmare.

This time when he shot up in bed, he didn't hesitate to check that Neil was tucked safely away in his bed.

And he was, looking peaceful in the faint light coming into the room from the window.

So peaceful that Andrew didn't want to wake him. It was just a dumb dream his mind had concocted to torture him. He'd survived worse.

So he went to his jacket, got his pack of cigarettes, and sat at the window, each inhale and glance at Neil's sleeping form slowly calming his nerves and settling him further.

When the cigarette had burned to the filter, he climbed back into his bed, and stared resolutely at the bed above him until the others in the room began to wake up.

*°*°*

The week reached a close, and Andrew had had this new nightmare every single night. He was tired, only running on the couple hours of sleep he managed to get between night practice and waking up in a cold sweat. Every night except the first he had smoked a cigarette and let Neil sleep as he calmed his heart. 

He was so damn tired.

Andrew managed to make it from his last class of the day back to the dorms, and entered the room to see it empty except for Neil sitting at his desk working on a laptop.

Neil turned at the sound of the door opening and gave him a small smile. An acknowledgement that he had arrived, but telling him he was in the middle of work. 

Which Andrew was fine with. He didn't feel any disappointment that he couldn't curl up next to Neil and watch something mind numbing until he finally slept.

So he went to the kitchen and made himself a hot chocolate, drinking it all before returning to the living room.

Seeing Neil sitting there Andrew knew that he would feel much more centered and grounded if he could just touch Neil.

He did a quick catalogue in his head. Kevin had class and Nicky was out with Allison shopping today.

So Andrew walked up to Neil's chair and looked down at him until he glanced up, eyebrows raised.

Neil opened his mouth, probably to say something like _staring_ , but Andrew cut him off.

"Yes or no."

Neil's brow furrowed and he glanced at the laptop in front of him before turning his chair towards Andrew.

"Yes."

Andrew slowly leaned forward so that both of his hands were braced on the back of the chair framing Neil's face.

He saw Neil's lips quirk up in a smile before his entire face shifted to confusion as he climbed into the chair on top of Neil, legs on either side of his hips, arms around his shoulders.

"Still yes?"

Neil nodded.

Andrew just stared until Neil rolled his eyes and said, "Yes."

Andrew rested his chin on Neil's shoulder as he turned the chair back into the desk.

"Where can I touch you?" Neil asked before resuming his work. 

Andrew felt his heart squeeze that Neil considered his boundaries even when he had moved so many of them for this moment. 

"Sides and upper back."

Neil nodded, and continued his work like Andrew wasn't even there.

But occasionally he would reach up and run his hand across Andrews back. 

It was so calm, and reassuring that eventually Andrew felt his eyelids start to droop.

He started to fight against it, but knew that he was with Neil, and that Neil would keep him safe. He could sleep for a few minutes.

*°*°*

Neil felt Andrew fall asleep against him and smiled.

He knew that Andrew hadn't been sleeping properly recently, and was grateful that he felt safe enough to sleep there.

Neil picked up his phone and typed out a text to both Nicky and Kevin, asking when they'll be back.

Kevin had class, so he didn't think he'd be back before Andrew woke up, but he wanted to be sure.

Nicky responded in a minute, saying he'd be back in about ten minutes. So Neil sent him a second text, something he almost never did.

_Neil - Nicky_

_When will you be back_

_In about 10 minutes babe_

_Why do you miss me?_

_If you say anything I'll burn your dick off, and if you take a picture I'll feed you the charred remnants._

_Jesus Christ Neil_

_WhY?!?!?!?!!!!_

_What happened ?!?!?_

_Neil!!!!!!!_

_??????_

_The fuck is going on??_

_I hate you_

_(No I don't but WhY Neil wHy?!?!)_

_Also, be quiet when you come in_

_NEIL!!_

Andrew was still asleep when Nicky reached the dorm, and he entered quietly, but when he saw Andrew, he almost screeched with joy.

He started to reach for his phone to take a picture, but stopped at the glare Neil sent him.

He pouted and turned to the kitchen, dropping his bags against the wall as he went.

Neil turned back to his desk, and continued to work on his assignment.

His legs had been numb for the last five minutes, so he risked some movement, and got some life back into it. He then did the same to the other legs when it didn't wake Andrew.

At around the half hour mark, Andrew shifted, and Neil froze, ready for him to wake up.

But he just turned his head and tucked it into Neil's neck, still asleep.

*°*°*

When Andrew woke up, he needed a moment to orient himself.

For whatever reason he didn't lash out at the body pressed against his, recognizing it after a moment as Neil.

He remembered how and where he fell asleep, and took stock of the room over Neil's shoulder. 

It was darker than it had been when he had come back from class and there was quiet noises coming from the kitchen and bedroom.

Finally he noticed that Neil's hand was tracing a pattern across his shoulders in an absent minded way. 

He leaned back slowly, and Neil dropped his hand, placing it on the armrest.

Andrew watched him as he paused the exy game he had been watching, and pulled out the earbud he had in.

"How long was I asleep."

Neil glanced at the clock. 

"Around an hour and a half. Maybe two."

"And you didn't need to move at all?"

He shrugged. "I shifted enough. You were pretty out of it."

Andrew couldn't help but stare at the man who had just let him sleep on him for two hours while he did homework.

"Yes or no."

Neil smiled.

"Yes."

Andrew leaned forward and pressed a brief kiss to his lips, expressing his gratitude that way.

*°*°*

It ended with Andrew getting a good night's sleep for the first time in a week.

And if it became something Andrew did to settle himself after a long day, and still does, no one needs to know. 


End file.
